250, 000 FLEE AS FLOODS PARALYZE METRO MANILA

250, 000 FLEE AS FLOODS PARALYZE METRO MANILA. A Philippine Coast Guard member reaches out to rescue a man who had clung to a tree for hours after swirling floodwaters swept him away along E. Rodriguez Avenue in Quezon City, Philippines on 7 August 2012. Half of Manila was under water and 250,000 people fled their homes Tuesday as torrential rain paralyzed the city, sweeping away houses, stranding residents on rooftops and triggering a landslide. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said that more than 800,000 people had been affected, with 18,600 in government evacuation centres and some 231,000 seeking refuge with friends or relatives. Photo courtesy jakartaglobe